Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Oohhh! An Oldie!

Trying to find the right "red" for the inner border of a project I'm working on....look at this goodie! You know it's old when it's only 36" wide! I don't suppose anyone can pin-point the date on this? 60s? Anyone? When did fabric go to 44" wide?

I love how this blends in with so many of the reproduction fabrics that are floating around out there. Some old calicoes are just timeless, aren't they?

17 comments:

I couldn't tell you a real date other than I would say 60s or older for sure. I know there was still 36" wide fabric around in the late 60's-early 70's because patterns still gave yardage for 36" wide fabric and 44-45". That is a very cool piece of fabric!

As I was reading your post, I was thinking that fabric came in 3 widths 36,45 and 60. I seem to remember there being the different widths on patterns. Maybe I'm thinking of something else altogether but that's what I remember. And I'm not that old either.

Hey Bonnie,I have a question...please don't think I am a quilt police or something...this is more just curiosity! When you come across fabrics that are obviously old and such how concerned are you about content? When fabric was 36" wide, was it 100% cotton? Or a blend? Thanks for all of your inspiration!hugstricia

Wow! Where did you find the red treasure?!? When I was 11 (in 1971), you could still buy calico fabric at Hancock Fabrics in Birmingham, Alabama that came on 36-inch bolts. I was learning to sew, and the Simplicity patterns stated yardage needed based on either 36, 44/45, or 60 inch wide fabric.

Hey Bonnie...its hard to determine the age of fabric, 44 inches came on the market in the late 50's, however, 36 was still being made into the late 70's. To me your fabric looks like late 60's to early 70's.

Pretty fabric! I started sewing (clothing) in the late 1960's and most fabric was 45" wide by then. Since your fabric is older, I'd suggest you test it. Try gently tearing it width-wise, and if it easily tears you may consider not using it. Louise

Corr on last post...I meant to say try tearing it lengthwise, not width wise. I'm sure for an inner border, though, it should be fine. (And just who do I think I am, giving sewing advise to Bonnie!!! :)Louise

I was interested in how old it could be and found this page about vintage fabrichttp://www.fabrics.net/joan1000.aspsays 42 inch came in towards the end of the 50s. Can you remember where it came from, a friend or family?

If you wish to test fiber content, do the "burn" test. Take a small piece of the fabric and CAREFULLY light the edge with a match. If it melts and forms a hard edge, it has synthetic fibers. If it flames and forms ashes, it is a natural fiber. I do this in an ashtray for safety.